WFIS has pulled some of the key highlights from the WA State Department of Health Summary of July 28, 2021 Changes for schools to grasp below. As always, we encourage everyone to read the full guidance and bring questions and concerns to WFIS for further clarification or investigation.
For the 2021-2022 school year, schools must follow the required mitigation measures:
- All staff and students must continue to wear face coverings/masks, regardless of vaccination status.
- Maintain physical distance of three feet or more between students in classroom settings to the degree possible and reasonable.
- Improve ventilation, offer more outside time, open windows often and adjust the HVAC system to allow the maximum amount of outside air to enter the program space and increase air filtration.
- Implement hand-washing and respiratory etiquette and when hand-washing is not possible, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol after ensuring it is not on the FDA’s “do-not-use” list .
- Continue with COVID-19 cleaning and disinfecting. UW has provided a sheet on safer cleaning and disinfecting products that work well against COVID-19.
- Any student, teacher, or staff who reports COVID-19-like symptoms must be immediately isolated from others and sent home and referred to diagnostic testing.
- Schools must ensure access to timely diagnostic testing among students with symptoms or who are close contacts of someone with COVID-19.
- Schools are required to have a designated COVID-19 Coordinator on campus to facilitate isolation, contact tracing, and reporting requirements to public health.
Schools need to maintain flexibility in how these layers are applied. If schools choose to remove a layer of prevention, they should do so one layer at a time while factoring in considerations such as community transmission rates, local outbreaks, and vaccination rates. Coordination with local public health will ensure this is done in the way to best ensure the safety of students, employees, and the community.
Vaccination
Schools should begin verifying student and staff vaccinations. Fully vaccinated students and staff who do not have symptoms do not have to quarantine when exposed to COVID-19 and may not require COVID-19 testing. Vaccination is not a requirement for in-person education at K-12 schools, though it is the strongest protective measure against COVID-19 available to individuals 12 years of age and older.
Further, while universal masking is required of all students and staff now, there is the possibility in the future that fully vaccinated people may no longer be required to wear masks indoors.
Testing
Schools must ensure access to timely diagnostic testing among students with symptoms or who are close contacts of someone with COVID-19. COVID-19 testing programs are not a requirement for providing in-person learning, but is an important layer of prevention.
Exposure Notification
Schools must have a response and communication plan in place that includes communication with staff, families and their local health jurisdiction.
The School COVID-19 Coordinator must also gather information about everyone the student or staff with COVID-19 may have been in close contact with at the school during their infectious period. See What to Do if Someone is a Close Contact of Someone with COVID-19 section of guidance for information on identifying close contacts. The ultimate determination of close contact is made by the local health jurisdiction; they may delegate this determination if appropriate.
Generally, a close contact is someone who was within six feet of a person with COVID-19 for at least 15 cumulative minutes over a 24-hour period during the period of time when the person with COVID-19 was infectious. The infectious period of someone with COVID-19 starts two days before the onset of symptoms or is estimated as two days before the positive test collection date if someone with COVID-19 is asymptomatic. This definition applies regardless of whether the case or contact was wearing a mask. If identified as a close contact, a person may need to quarantine as outlined below.
Quarantine
Any student, teacher, or staff who reports COVID-19-like symptoms must be immediately isolated from others and sent home and referred to diagnostic testing as soon as feasible.
People who may be exempt from quarantine:
- Close contacts who are fully vaccinated and do not have symptoms, do not need to quarantine but should watch for symptoms and get tested if symptoms develop.
- Close contact who had confirmed COVID-19 in the past three months, have recovered and do not have symptoms, do not need to quarantine but should watch for symptoms and get tested if symptoms develop.
Returning to School
If a person tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a molecular or antigen test, they can return to school when the following criteria are met:
- 10 days since symptom onset, or since positive test specimen collection date if no symptoms are present (up to 20 days for those for those who are severely ill or severely immunocompromised), AND
- 24 hours after fever resolves without use of fever-reducing medications, AND
- Symptoms have improved
This isolation guidance applies regardless of vaccination status.
Reporting Requirements
All cases of COVID-19 and outbreaks in schools must be reported to the local health jurisdiction per Washington State law (WAC 246-101).
When a school learns of a student or staff with COVID-19 or an outbreak of COVID-19 on the school premises, the School COVID-19 Coordinator must immediately notify the local health jurisdiction of the school.
The School COVID-19 Coordinator must also gather information about everyone the student or staff with COVID-19 may have been in close contact with at the school during their infectious period.
Notification of Exposure
Schools must have a response and communication plan in place that includes communication with staff, families and their local health jurisdiction.
Extracurricular and Co-curricular Activities
Complete details expected to be published in August.
Screening Testing Requirements for K-12 Athletics
To ensure safe participation in athletics, schools must institute screening testing protocols for athletes, coaches, trainers, and other personnel who work with athletes who are not fully vaccinated participating in high-contact indoor sports. For the full list of high-contact indoor sports, see the table in the DOH Sports and Fitness Guidance.
Schools may consider screening testing for unvaccinated students participating in other co- curricular or extracurricular activities, such as those that generate aerosols, including singing and some music.
Further Clarification
WFIS is aware that this Updated School Guidance indicates “Schools should prepare for instructing students and their families who are excluded from school due to illness or quarantine in accordance with all federal and state laws” yet provides no references or links to such laws. We will follow up with OSPI, CAPE and other agencies to gather insight and details on this language.
